


Are You With Me

by CinderWildcat



Category: Banana Fish (Anime & Manga)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-05
Updated: 2018-11-05
Packaged: 2019-08-19 05:26:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 944
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16528256
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CinderWildcat/pseuds/CinderWildcat
Summary: Arthur and Wookie have a bit of a late night discussion surrounding Arthur's inevitable showdown with Ash Lynx.





	Are You With Me

**Author's Note:**

> This is a story I wrote rather quickly just to get some thoughts and ideas about my rarepair, Arthur/Wookie, out there. I'm not sure if this will eventually be in the same universe as my other fic, "Nurturing", but for now I'll say these are two separate universes.

“It’s really happening.”

Arthur sat at the bar in Golzine’s mansion, nursing a glass of whiskey and trying to collect his thoughts, while Wookie sat at one of the booths, watching Arthur warily, almost sadly. Arthur’s grip on his drink tightened at Wookie’s words. “Yeah. Finally.” His voice came out flat, emotionless. No need for posturing right now. He downed one final gulp of whisky and slammed the glass down. Wookie jumped at the sudden _clang_.

Their meeting had ended a good twenty minutes ago, with the rest of the guys leaving the bar joking and bragging about how they would destroy Ash’s gang and feeling pretty cocky in general. The confident, excitable feeling in the air had left with them, leaving only Arthur and Wookie to sit silently. Arthur had shown himself to be confident throughout the whole meeting, but even before then, right after his talk with Golzine, his fears surrounding his inevitable showdown with Ash were starting to really get to him. He needed this drink now, and even if he would never say it, he needed Wookie.

Arthur stood up from the bar and surprised himself when he started to sway and stumble. Almost immediately Wookie was by Arthur’s side, arms outstretched as he tried to steady Arthur.

“Hey, slow down, okay,” he said, grabbing onto Arthur. Arthur jerked his arm way and grunted.

“I’m fine,” he protested. “Not my first time being a little fucking tipsy, okay?” Immediately he began to sway again, and sure enough Wookie was right there, holding onto Arthur’s shoulder and steadying him as best he could. This time Arthur didn’t object.

“You should rest here for the night,” said Wookie. “It’s better here than that hole-in-the-wall apartment you have.”

“Don’t try to tell me what to do,” said Arthur, not an ounce of venom in his voice. He gently pushed Wookie’s hand off his shoulder and continued towards the door. “Besides, my bed’s more comfortable anyway. Better than all the fancy, frilly shit that old man has here—.”

“Frederick.”

That got Arthur to stop. He turned, slowly, to face Wookie, who’s concern for Arthur was plainly written all over his face. “Are you… are you absolutely sure about this?”

Arthur stared incredulously. “’Are you sure about this?’ What kind of question is that?! I’ve been sure about this for months! I’m sure about this, what about you? I thought you were with me on this!”

“It’s not that, okay, I just—” Wookie paused and sighed deeply, trying to calm himself. “You just seem… worried. I just want to make sure you’re okay. I _need_ to know that you’re okay.”

Arthur’s glare softened, and he internally cussed himself out for being so obvious. At the same time, he felt a little bit of warmth spreading through his heart at hearing Wookie’s concern. Arthur sighed and shook his head.

“Andrew,” he said softly, using Wookie’s rarely-heard real name, “of course I’m scared. I’m not a complete idiot – I know who I’m up against.” He turned to look at the darkness outside. “That doesn’t mean I’m not gonna fucking try and fight with all I got. And believe me, I will! I’m going to make sure I end that fucker one way or another, before he tries to end me.” Arthur paused. “Either I end this now… or he does. I can’t stop. I can’t just roll over and let him win, not now.”

Neither knew how to continue, or how to respond. They both collected their thoughts and let the silence in the room hang there, with Arthur gazing out the window and Wookie looking back at Arthur, his face now unreadable. After what felt like an eternity Arthur finally looked back at his partner. He wanted to say something meaningful or reassuring, but he couldn’t think of anything to say that wasn’t overly sappy, awkward or stupid. He shoved his hands into his pockets, sighed, and locked eyes with Wookie.

"So are you with me?"

A second of silence, of intense eye contact, then Wookie walked over to Arthur and kissed him.

Their relationship would not be characterized as "romantic", or even a relationship at that. Wookie was patient, loyal, and kind to Arthur, and Arthur in turn tried his best to reciprocate, at least as much as he could allow himself to. Nights spent together weren't for lovemaking and cuddling - it was rough, quick sex only to release their base desires for each other, or to satisfy their loneliness, and their kisses were very much the same. But even without the romance and the showy displays of devotion, they stuck together, supported each other, and even if it was never verbalized, they loved each other in their own way.

This kiss was different. No tongue, no intensity, no unspoken promises of a night together in bed - there was tenderness and softness, and almost a finality to it. A true lovers kiss. Arthur actually felt his heart beat faster and the surprisingly innocent show of affection.

Wookie pulled away, slowly. His gaze lingered on Arthur's lips, wanting more but knowing not to push his luck. Instead he let his eyes meet Arthur's, relishing the small blush that crept up on Arthur's cheeks. He remembered Arthur's initial question and smiled.

"What do you think", he whispered, placing a hand on Arthur's cheek. Arthur tried to resist but he felt himself leaning into the warmth of Wookie's hand - Andrew's hand. He closed his eyes and let himself smile, even for just a moment.

When he opened his eyes again, Wookie was there, matching his gaze with that determined ferocity Arthur loved.

Of course he was with him.

**Author's Note:**

> Wookie's real name being "Andrew" is a hc I derived from the later Viz translation of volume 1, where Wookie is referred to by multiple characters as "A.M." My headcanon is those are his initials, and so far I'm stuck on the name Andrew Miles for him.


End file.
